Police Seize 3 Handguns During Routine Traffic Patrols This Week

Three separate routine traffic stops in Pasadena this week resulted in the seizure of guns, police said.

The most recent incident unfolded shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday after officers stopped a car for a red light violation at Fair Oaks Avenue and Holly Street, according to Pasadena police Lt. Anthony Burgess.

The officers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and discovered the driver, a 20-year-old Pasadena man, had no license, he said.

As they were preparing to search the car, a 19-year-old Pasadena woman riding as a passenger admitted to having a .22-caliber handgun in her purse, Burgess said. She was arrested on suspicion of weapon-related violations.

Another vehicle stop streaming from a traffic violation on Wednesday night led to the seizure of a handgun and the arrest of an ex-convict, officials said.

Officers pulled over a car about 1:45 a.m. for “multiple traffic violations” at Lake Avenue and Maple Street and immediately noticed marijuana in plain view, including freshly burned marijuana, Lt. Sean Dawkins said.

A search of the car turned up a pistol, and the 26-year-old driver from Las Vegas was arrested, he said.

Police on Monday conducted a traffic stop at Colorado Boulevard and Vinedo Avenue, leading to the seizure of another gun.

After stopping a car for vehicle code violations about 2:30 a.m., a vehicle search ultimately yielded a 9mm handgun, along with drug paraphernalia, according to Dawkins. The 53-year-old Pasadena man at the wheel of the car was arrested.